Spheria Australian Smaller Companies Fund

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Overview

About the Fund

The Fund is an actively managed portfolio, investing in a broad range of small cap companies predominantly from Australia. The Fund focuses on small cap businesses that generate predictable free cash flows at an appropriate multiple for the forecast growth profile. Not only does this process see great businesses with strong fundamentals added to portfolios, it ensures businesses that don’t generate cash, lack sustainability* or are being priced nonsensically by the market are avoided which is crucial in the small cap space.

*See ‘Labour standards or environmental, social or ethical considerations’ in section 4 of the Product Disclosure Statement for more information.

Investment Managers

Marcus Burns

Portfolio Manager

Marcus is a co-founder of Spheria and has been a Portfolio Manager since Spheria's inception in April 2016. He has managed Australian, European and global equity portfolios out of Australia and London through volatile market cycles for over 20 years. Marcus has an established track record generating strong investment portfolio returns for investors. He worked alongside his Co-Portfolio Manager Matthew Booker at Schroders since the beginning of 2013 and co-managed the Australian small and micro-cap portfolios with Matthew. These funds generated double digit returns above benchmark during this timeframe.

Matthew Booker

Portfolio Manager

Matthew is a co-founder of Spheria Asset Management and a portfolio manager with research responsibilities. He has managed small company portfolios through volatile market cycles for over 16 years and has established a significant track record for generating returns that have exceeded portfolio benchmarks. Prior to co-founding Spheria, Mr Booker worked at Concord Capital and then Schroders, managing the smaller companies fund as well as the micro-cap product at Schroders. Mr Booker is an Associate of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia and a Fellow of FINSIA. He has over 25 years of financial markets experience.

Adam Lund

Head of Trading / Analyst

Adam Lund is a co-founder of Spheria and is the Head of Trading with investment research and portfolio construction responsibilities. Adam has over 16 years experience in funds management and spent 5 years as an equities and derivatives trader at Schroders Investment Management Australia. At Schroders, Adam worked closely with Spheria co-founders, Matthew Booker and Marcus Burns.

Ratings

The Spheria Australian Smaller Companies Fund received a ‘Highly Recommended’ rating from Zenith Investment Partners (February 2024)1 and a ‘Recommended’ rating from Lonsec Research (September 2023)2. Further information on our Ratings and Certifications can be found in the Disclaimer & Disclosure section.

Fund Facts

Spheria Australian Smaller Companies Fund value
Benchmark S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Accumulation Index
Investment Objective Outperform the S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Accumulation Index over the medium to long term
Suggested Minimum Investment Timeframe 5 years or more
Investing Universe Primarily listed companies outside the top ASX 100 listed companies by market capitalisation and companies listed on the New Zealand Stock Exchange with an equivalent market capitalisation
Suitable Investor Profile This product is intended for use as a minor or satellite allocation for a consumer who is seeking capital growth and has a very high risk and return profile for that portion of their investment portfolio. It is likely to be consistent with the financial situation and needs of a consumer with a 7-year investment timeframe and who is unlikely to need to withdraw their money on less than one week’s notice.
Risk Very high
Holdings Generally 30 - 80 stocks
Distributions Half-Yearly
Fees 1.10% p.a. Management fee & 20% performance fee of the Fund’s excess return versus its benchmark, net of management fee.
Portfolio Allocation1 80-100% Australian and New Zealand equities
0-20% Cash and cash equivalents
Expected Turnover 30% - 40%
Style Long only
APIR WHT0008AU
Minimum Initial Investment $25,000

1 The portfolio allocation ranges provided are indicative only. The Fund will be rebalanced within a reasonable period of time should the exposure move outside these ranges.

Product Disclosure Statement (PDS)
Target Market Determination (TMD)

Why Australian small caps?

Smaller companies generally have more potential for growth relative to large companies as they may be in the early stages of development or are providing new services or technologies.

Performance

1 Spheria Australian Smaller Companies Fund. Returns of the Fund are net of applicable fees, costs and taxes.
2 Benchmark is the S&P/ASX Small Ordinaries Accumulation Index.
3 Inception date of the current investment strategy is 11th July 2016. The Fund was established in June 2005. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. All p.a. returns are annualised.

Latest Monthly Performance Report

Unit Prices and Distributions

Unit Price History

Unit prices are net of fees & do not include distributions. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

Distribution History

Updates and Reports

Latest Monthly Report

Latest Monthly Report

Other Reports

Historical ReportsFund Annual Financial StatementMFunds Disclosure

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Platform Availability List

The Spheria Australian Smaller Companies Fund is available on the below Platforms. Platforms provide investors with consolidated and centralised reporting (including administration, tax, and distribution) by bundling together a range of managed funds as one single product. If the Fund is not available on your preferred platform, please contact us. Please check with your platform for minimum investment requirements and fees.

AMP North

Asgard

BT Panorama

Centric

CFS FirstWrap

DASH

Freedom of Choice

HUB24

Insignia Expand

Insignia Financial Wrap

Macquarie Wrap

Mason Stevens

Netwealth

OneVue

PowerWrap (IDPS only)

Praemium

Apply online

Complete and submit an application in a quarter of the time it takes to invest via paper based application. Investors with a verified account can top-up investments or invest in other funds in a fraction of the time.

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Paper Forms

Application FormAdditional Investment FormAuthorised Representative Form (Individual)Authorised Representative Form (Company)
Change of details FormSwitch FormRedemption FormFrequently Asked Questions

Need assistance?

Call 1300 010 311 | Email: service@pinnacleinvestment.com

Disclaimer

This webpage is prepared by Spheria Asset Management Pty Limited (‘Spheria’) (ABN 42‌ 611‌ 081‌ 326‌, Corporate Authorised Representative No. 1240‌979‌) of Pinnacle Investment Management Limited (‘PIML’) (ABN 66 109 659 109, AFSL 322140) as the investment manager of the Spheria Australian Smaller Companies Fund (ARSN 117‌ 083‌ 762‌) (the ‘Fund’). Pinnacle Fund Services Limited (‘PFSL’) (ABN 29‌ 082‌ 494‌ 362‌, AFSL 238‌371‌) is the product issuer of the Fund. PFSL is not licensed to provide financial product advice. PFSL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Pinnacle Investment Management Group Limited (‘Pinnacle’) (ABN 22‌ 100‌ 325‌ 184‌).

The information provided in this website is of a general nature only and has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making an investment decision in respect of the Fund, you should consider the current Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (‘TMD’) of the Fund and the Fund’s other periodic and continuous disclosure announcements lodged with the ASX, which are available at www.asx.com.au, and assess whether the Fund is appropriate given your objectives, financial situation or needs. If you require advice that takes into account your personal circumstances, you should consult a licensed or authorised financial adviser.

Neither PFSL nor Spheria guarantees repayment of capital or any particular rate of return from the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objectives. The value of your units at any point in time may be worth less than your original investment even after taking into account the reinvestment of Fund distributions. Returns are not guaranteed, and you may lose some or all of your money. The specific risks associated with investing in the Fund, and the risks associated with the Fund’s investments, are discussed in Section 3 of the Product Disclosure Statement. Neither PFSL nor Spheria gives any representation or warranty as to the currency, reliability, completeness or accuracy of the information contained in this website. All opinions and estimates included in this website constitute judgments of Spheria as at the date of website creation and are subject to change without notice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance.

1 The Zenith Investment Partners (ABN 27 103 132 672, AFS Licence 226872) (“Zenith”) rating (assigned February 2024) referred to in this piece is limited to “General Advice” (s766B Corporations Act 2001) for Wholesale clients only. This advice has been prepared without taking into account the objectives, financial situation or needs of any individual, including target markets of financial products, where applicable, and is subject to change at any time without prior notice. It is not a specific recommendation to purchase, sell or hold the relevant product(s). Investors should seek independent financial advice before making an investment decision and should consider the appropriateness of this advice in light of their own objectives, financial situation and needs. Investors should obtain a copy of, and consider the PDS or offer document before making any decision and refer to the full Zenith Product Assessment available on the Zenith website. Past performance is not an indication of future performance. Zenith usually charges the product issuer, fund manager or related party to conduct Product Assessments. Full details regarding Zenith’s methodology, ratings definitions and regulatory compliance are available on our Product Assessments and at Fund Research Regulatory Guidelines.

2 The rating issued (Spheria Australian Smaller Companies Fund WHT0008AU rating issued September 2023) is published by Lonsec Research Pty Ltd ABN 11 151 658 561 AFSL 421 445 (Lonsec). Ratings are general advice only, and have been prepared without taking account of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider your personal circumstances, read the product disclosure statement and seek independent financial advice before investing. The rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell or hold any product. Past performance information is not indicative of future performance. Ratings are subject to change without notice and Lonsec assumes no obligation to update. Lonsec uses objective criteria and receives a fee from the Fund Manager. Visit lonsec.com.au for ratings information and to access the full report. © 2022 Lonsec. All rights reserved.